Kanye West Alleges Adidas Rolled Out Yeezy Day 'Without My Approval'
Posted by TYLER CONWAY - BLEACHER REPORT on Aug 10th 2022
All is not well in the relationship between Adidas and Kanye West.
The hip-hop mogul expressed frustration with Adidas' launch of "Yeezy Day," saying the sneakerhead holiday was created without his approval in an Instagram DM to Complex.
Adidas has annually celebrated Yeezy Day on Aug. 2, releasing new and past versions of the West-created shoe on their Confirmed app and the Yeezy Supply store. Given the relative scarcity of each Yeezy release, the event leads to a massive spike in sales and exposure for Confirmed, Adidas' competitor to Nike's SNKRS app.
In the DM, West also accuses Adidas of creating new colorways and making several behind-the-scenes decisions without his approval. He also says the company has been stealing his ideas and then using them for Adidas Originals releases.
This is the second time this summer West has railed against Adidas for what he deems thievery of his ideas. The rapper posted an Instagram rant in June, saying Adidas copied his slides design and made "fake" Yeezys at a lesser cost.
West and Adidas launched their first collaboration in 2015, building what's become a billion-dollar partnership. Forbes estimates West's net worth at $2 billion, due in large part to the success of the Yeezy brand and the mogul's partnership with Gap, which netted over $1 billion in sales since its launch.